宗鏡錄 80.21

80.21

答曰。即此法身。是色體故。能現於色。所謂從本已來。色心不二。以色性即智故。色體無形。說名智身。以智性即色故。說名法身。遍一切處。今取二性。相即互融之義說耳。百門義海云。謂覺塵及一切法。從緣無性。名為佛性。經云。三世佛種。以無性為性。一切處隨了無性。即為佛性。不以有情故有。不以無情故無。今獨言有情者。遍世勸人為器。常於一毛一毫之處。明見一切理事。無非如來性。是開如來性起功德。名為佛性。是知六道四生。山河大地。情與非情。皆同一性。如世尊最後垂示。應盡還原品三告之。又經云。爾時世尊。如是逆順入。諸禪已。普告大眾。我以甚深般若。遍觀三界一切六道。諸山大海。大地含生。如是三界。根本性離。畢竟寂滅。同虛空相。無名無識。永斷諸有。本來平等。無高下想。無見無聞。無覺無知。不可繫縛。不可解脫。無眾生。無壽命。不生不起。不盡不滅。非世間。非非世間。涅槃生死。皆不可得。二際平等。等諸法故。閑居靜住。無所施為。究竟安置。必不可得。從無住法。法性施為。斷一切相。一無所有。法相如是。其知是者。名出世人。是事不知。名生死始。汝等大眾。應斷無明。滅生死始。又復告大眾。我以摩訶般若。遍觀三界有情無情。一切人法。悉皆究竟。無繫縛者。無解脫者。無主無依。不可攝持。不出三界。不入諸有。本來清淨。無垢。無煩惱。與虛空等。不平等。非不平等。盡諸動念。思想心息。如是法相。名大涅槃。真見此法。名為解脫。凡夫不知。名曰無明。作是語已。復入超禪。從初禪出。乃至入滅盡定。從滅盡定出。乃至入初禪。如是逆順。入超禪已。復告大眾。我以佛眼。遍觀三界一切諸法。無明本際。性本解脫。於十方求了不能得。根本無故。所因枝葉。皆悉解脫。無明解脫故。乃至老死皆得解脫。以是因緣。我今安住。常滅寂光。名大涅槃。如上真實慈父。廣大悲心。不可思議三告之文。或有偶斯教者。可以折骨為筆。剝皮為紙。刺血為墨。而書寫之。不可頃刻暫忘。剎那失照。且如第一文云。遍觀三界一切六道。諸山大海。大地含生。如是三界。根本性離。畢竟寂滅。第二文云。遍觀三界有情無情。一切人法。悉皆究竟。第三文云。遍觀三界一切諸法。無明本性。性本解脫。是以遍法界內。盡十方中。若有情。若無情。若有性。若無性。山河大地。草芥人畜。不在三界。不出三界。不隨生死。不住涅槃。皆同真如一心妙性。如是信解。頓入一乘。更無祕文。能出斯旨。離此有說。皆是權施。誘引提携。咸歸宗鏡。

The answer states: 'Precisely because this dharmakāya is the substance of form, it can manifest in form. That is to say, from the beginning, form and citta have been non-dual. Because the nature of form is precisely wisdom, the substance of form has no shape and is called the wisdom-body. Because the nature of wisdom is precisely form, it is called the dharmakāya, omnipresent in all places.' Now we take the meaning of the mutual identity and mutual fusion of the two natures to explain it, that is all. The Baimen yihai says: 'To awaken to the dust-objects and all dharmas as lacking self-nature from conditions is called the buddha-nature. The sūtra says: "The buddha-seed of the three times takes non-nature as its nature. Anywhere, following the comprehension of non-nature, that is precisely the buddha-nature." It does not exist because of sentient beings, nor is it absent because of insentient things. Now, when speaking solely of sentient beings, this is to admonish people everywhere to become vessels, constantly seeing clearly in a single hair or minute tip that all principles and phenomena are nothing other than the tathāgata-nature; this is to open up the merits of the arising of the tathāgata-nature, and is called the buddha-nature.' From this we know that the six destinies and four modes of birth, the mountains, rivers, and the great earth, sentient and insentient, all share the same one nature. It is as the World-Honoured One proclaimed three times in his final instruction, the chapter on 'Exhausting All Responses and Returning to the Source'. Moreover, the sūtra says: 'At that time, after the World-Honoured One had entered the various dhyānas in direct and reverse order, he universally addressed the great assembly: "With my profound prajñā, I have universally contemplated the three realms, all the six destinies, the various mountains and the great ocean, and the living beings of the great earth. Such three realms are fundamentally free in their nature, completely quiescent, identical to the characteristic of empty space, without name and without consciousness, forever cutting off all existences, originally equal without thoughts of high or low, without seeing and without hearing, without perceiving and without knowing, unable to be bound, unable to be liberated, without sentient beings, without lifespan, neither born nor arising, neither exhausting nor ceasing, neither worldly nor unworldly. Both nirvāṇa and saṃsāra are ungraspable, because the two limits are equal, equal to all dharmas. Dwelling in leisure and abiding in stillness, without anything to put into operation, an ultimate establishment is utterly ungraspable. Acting from non-abiding dharmas and the dharma-nature, cutting off all characteristics, there is completely nothing at all. The characteristics of dharmas are like this. One who knows this is called a supramundane person; not knowing this matter is called the beginning of saṃsāra. You in the great assembly should sever avidyā and extinguish the beginning of saṃsāra." He also addressed the great assembly again: "With my mahāprajñā, I have universally contemplated the sentient and insentient of the three realms, all persons and dharmas; they are all utterly ultimate, without one who is bound, without one who is liberated, without lord and without reliance, unable to be grasped or held, neither departing from the three realms nor entering into the various existences, originally pure, without defilement, without kleśa, equal to empty space, neither equal nor unequal; exhausting all moving thoughts, conceptual citta ceases. Such characteristics of dharmas are called great nirvāṇa. Truly seeing this dharma is called liberation; ordinary beings who do not know it are said to have avidyā." Having spoken these words, he entered the leap-over dhyāna again, emerging from the first dhyāna up to entering the cessation absorption, and emerging from the cessation absorption down to entering the first dhyāna. Having thus entered the leap-over dhyāna in direct and reverse order, he again addressed the great assembly: "With my buddha-eye, I have universally contemplated all dharmas of the three realms: the original limit of avidyā is fundamentally liberated in its nature. Seeking it in the ten directions, it is completely ungraspable; because the root is non-existent, the dependent branches and leaves are all liberated. Because avidyā is liberated, up to old age and death are all liberated. Due to these causes and conditions, I now abide in the light of constant extinction and quiescence, which is called great nirvāṇa."' As for the inconceivable text of the three proclamations from the true, compassionate Father's vast, great mind of compassion above, if anyone encounters this teaching, they should break their bones for pens, peel their skin for paper, and pierce their blood for ink to copy it down, never forgetting it even for a brief moment, nor losing illumination for a single kṣaṇa. Moreover, as the first passage says: 'Universally contemplate the three realms, all the six destinies, the various mountains and the great ocean, and the living beings of the great earth. Such three realms are fundamentally free in their nature, completely quiescent.' The second passage says: 'Universally contemplate the sentient and insentient of the three realms, all persons and dharmas; they are all utterly ultimate.' The third passage says: 'Universally contemplate all dharmas of the three realms: the original nature of avidyā is fundamentally liberated in its nature.' Therefore, throughout the entire dharmadhātu and across all the ten directions, whether sentient or insentient, whether possessing nature or lacking nature, the mountains, rivers, the great earth, grasses, mustard seeds, humans, and animals do not exist within the three realms, do not depart from the three realms, do not follow saṃsāra, and do not abide in nirvāṇa; all are identical with the wondrous nature of the one-mind tathatā. Believing and understanding in this way, one enters the ekayāna suddenly. There is no other secret text that can surpass this principle. Any explanation apart from this is an expedient arrangement, enticing, guiding, and supporting beings so that all return to the mirror of the source.